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Autonomous underwater robots have been contracted to survey the site of the US’s first floating offshore wind farm.

In December, Norwegian energy giant Equinor won a 2-gigawatt (GW) lease in Morro Bay, California, in the first-ever offshore wind lease sale on the US West Coast. It was also the first US sale to support commercial-scale floating offshore wind development.

The Morro Bay project has the potential to generate enough energy to power around 750,000 US households.

But first steps first: Equinor just signed a contract with marine robotics company Ocean Infinity to conduct a site investigation survey using multiple AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) at the same time at Equinor’s floating offshore wind lease area.

AUVs are underwater robots that operate independently of humans, and they can go to depths that human divers can’t. They’re modular so they can be bespoke and feature such things as sonar, depth sensors, and cameras. They’re either programmed or controlled by remote operators that tell the AUV where, when, and what they should sample. The data that AUVs collect is retrieved by the operators when they resurface.

The data that Ocean Infinity’s AUVs collect at Morro Bay will help Equinor develop and refine its floating offshore wind farm design and will also inform the site assessment and construction and operations plans.

Shawntel Johnson, director of business development at Ocean Infinity, said, “AUVs in scale are the perfect tool for [the US West Coast], providing not only great data quality advantages over towed arrays, in water depths spanning from 974 to 1317 meters (about 4,507 feet), but also huge efficiency over wide areas.”

The UAVs will be deployed at Morro Bay in February 2024.

Read more: California governor calls for a massive 20 GW of offshore wind by 2045

Photo: Ocean Infinity


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Volvo’s new ES90 electric sedan is ‘one of the most technically advanced cars’ on the market

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Volvo's new ES90 electric sedan is 'one of the most technically advanced cars' on the market

Volvo’s flagship electric sedan is almost here. With its debut just weeks away, Volvo previewed the new ES90, boasting it’s “one of the most technically advanced cars on the market today.” Packed with two high-tech NVIDIA computers, it will also be the most advanced Volvo car yet.

Volvo teases new ES90 EV ahead of its debut

The ES90 is Volvo’s first vehicle to feature dual NVIDIA Drive AGX Orin computers, making it the company’s most powerful in terms of computing capacity.

NVIDIA’s new in-vehicle computer platform delivers around 508 trillion operations per second (TOPS). To give you a better idea, the most powerful PlayStation (PlayStation 5 Pro) has 16.7 trillion, or around 3% of the computing power. It’s even an eightfold improvement from Volvo’s previous models.

Combined with Volvo’s Superset tech stack, the electric sedan is a “truly software-defined car,” making it more efficient and safe than ever.

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Anders Bell, Volvo’s chief engineer, claimed, “The Volvo ES90 is one of the most technically advanced cars on the market today. It will also improve with regular OTA updates that are now standard on all Volvo models based on the Superset.

The new EV is loaded with an array of sensors, including a lidar, five radars, eight cameras, and twelve ultrasonic sensors, for advanced safety and driver assistance functions.

Volvo’s safety system, called “Safe Space Technology,” is designed to detect and avoid other vehicles, bystanders, and objects, even in the dark.

Volvo ES90 teaser (source: Volvo Cars)

The ES90 is Volvo’s second EV, following the three-row EX90 SUV, built on the Superset tech stack. Volvo also plans to upgrade the EX90 with dual NVIDIA Drive AGX Orin computers as it improves the lineup. Existing EX90 customers will get an upgrade free of charge.

In the preview, you can see that the ES90’s profile resembles that of its hybrid S90 sedan. The teaser hints at a more modern design, with elements pulled from the EX90, including upright tail lights.

Volvo will unveil the ES90 on March 5, 2025. You can watch the live-stream event here. Check back for the full details.

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Tesla to finally launch Supercharger wait queue after fight broke out

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Tesla to finally launch Supercharger wait queue after fight broke out

Tesla announced that it would finally launch wait queues at Superchargers, a feature long requested by Tesla owners after a fight broke out at a station between owners arguing about who is next to charge.

For years, Tesla owners have been asking the automaker to implement a system to queue at Supercharger stations when they are full.

It doesn’t happen often — in fact, we now learn that it happens about 1% of the time — but when it does, it can be problematic.

When a Supercharger station is full, and more Tesla drivers arrive, they generally try to form a physical queue at the station. However, the parking lot can sometimes be limited, leading to issues with people cutting ahead.

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We reported that this would become a bigger problem after Elon Musk fired Tesla’s entire charging team last year. This slowed down Tesla’s Supercharger deployment, which was already expanding at a lower rate than Tesla’s fleet.

A simple solution would be for Tesla to include a system to queue through the Tesla app or in-car system for people as they arrive at the station.

This week, Tesla finally announced that it is going to pilot a virtual queue at some sites next quarter:

Virtual queuing pilots starting in Q2 at select sites. Goal is a net customer experience improvement for the ~1% cases of a wait time. Wider rollout this year if feedback is positive. We also continue to expand the network 20%+ year-over-year, closely tracking site-level demand.

What did it take for Tesla to move forward with that finally? A fight.

The above message from Tesla’s charging team about launching a queue system was in response to this video of a fight between Tesla owners at a full Supercharger station that has been going viral:

While this is the first time I have seen a video of such a fight at a Tesla Supercharger, there have been many reports of such incidents over the last few years.

It’s good to hear that Tesla is finally addressing the issue. Now, the question is: will this virtual queuing system also work with non-Tesla vehicles, which Tesla is onboarding on Tesla’s Supercharger network – contributing to the crowding issue.

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Kia unveils first look at its new PV5: This is the electric van we’ve been waiting for

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Kia unveils first look at its new PV5: This is the electric van we've been waiting for

Kia just pulled the covers off its new electric van, the PV5, giving us our first look at the futuristic model. The mid-size model is the first in Kia’s upcoming lineup of purpose-built electric vans that’s expected to shake up the growing market. From the first look, the PV5 will rival the Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Ford E-Transit. Check it out below.

Here’s our first look at the Kia PV5 electric van

We first saw the PV5 concept at CES last January after Kia introduced its “game-changing” Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) platform.

The PV5 was showcased alongside the larger PV7 and smaller PV1 models. Unlike Ford’s E-Transit, Kia’s electric van rides on a dedicated EV (PBV) platform. The flexible modular architecture will underpin the entire lineup as part of Kia’s plans to secure a leadership role in the electric van market.

After teasing the production model last week, Kia unveiled the exterior design for the first time on Thursday. The PV5 will be available in several configurations, including Passenger and Cargo models.

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Kia said it will introduce another model during its upcoming EV Day on February 24. As you can see, Kia went all out with this one.

Like its newest EV models, the PV5 features a bold, almost futuristic-like design. In Kia’s words, the electric van’s “contemporary design transcends traditional light commercial vehicles.”

Kia-PV5-first-look
Kia PV5 Passenger electric van (Source: Kia)

Massive windows that span the entire Passenger model add to the modern look, but also make it easier to see when driving.

Added black geometric wheel arch claddings and rocker panels give the PV5 a slightly rugged, off-road feel, “confidently linking the high-tech upper cabin with the more rugged and purposeful lower body.”

Kia-PV5-electric-van-first-look
Kia PV5 Cargo (Source: Kia)

Although the Cargo model has a similar design, the boxy profile enables more interior space for delivery and other business uses (and don’t forget the camp lifers). Kia also included twin side-opening tailgate doors, making it easier to load and unload.

Kia will reveal additional info, including powertrain specs, seating setups, and more, during its EV Day next week. The event will be held in Tarragona, Spain, on February 24. Official details will be released on February 27. Check back next week for more on the Kia PV5.

Kia-PV5-electric-van-first-look
Kia PV5 Cargo electric van (Source: Kia)

At the event, Kia will also introduce the EV4 electric sedan and hatchback models alongside a smaller, more affordable EV2 concept.

With its official debut coming up, the PV5 was spotted testing in the US this week (check them out here). Images and a video sent to Electrek by Alex Nguyen reveal a Volkswagen ID.Buzz-like design.

Kia’s PV5 Cargo Compact concept, the most basic model, is 177.2″ long, 74.8″ wide, and 74.8″ tall. However, that’s the “Compact” model. The regular Passenger and Cargo variants will be bigger. To give you a comparison, the US-spec ID.Buzz (LWB) is 195.4″ long, 78.1″ wide, and 76.2″ tall, while Ford’s E-Transit is 237.6″ long, 81.3″ wide, and 83.9″ tall.

What do you think of Kia’s mid-size electric van? Do you like the look better than the ID.Buzz or E-Transit? Let us know in the comments below.

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